Fundraiser to support awareness of eating disorders

Pictured is Katie Ringley, a Shelby native who once battled anorexia nervosa, a harmful eating disorder, is hosting a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to raise awareness about the disorder through a National Eating Disorder Association's Walk to be hosted in Raleigh this April.

By Alicia Banks

Published: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 06:03 PM.

She cut corners for an entire year. Not with her grades, but with calories.

And that turned Shelby native Katie Ringley into an isolated person who realized starvation changed her once bubbly personality.

Her weight plummeted from 110 to 96 pounds.

A doctor diagnosed her with anorexia nervosa, a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder marked by excessive weight loss and self-starvation, according to the National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) website.

Now, she is working to raise awareness of the harms of eating disorders.

Ringley will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser in Shelby on Saturday. The meal includes a drink, rolls and a dessert for $7.

She cut corners for an entire year. Not with her grades, but with calories.

And that turned Shelby native Katie Ringley into an isolated person who realized starvation changed her once bubbly personality.

Her weight plummeted from 110 to 96 pounds.

A doctor diagnosed her with anorexia nervosa, a serious and potentially life-threatening eating disorder marked by excessive weight loss and self-starvation, according to the National Eating Disorders Association’s (NEDA) website.

Now, she is working to raise awareness of the harms of eating disorders.

Ringley will host a spaghetti dinner fundraiser in Shelby on Saturday. The meal includes a drink, rolls and a dessert for $7.

Since October, Ringley has raised more than $1,700 toward a NEDA walk she’ll oversee this April. The Campbell University pharmacy school student said the donations toward her cause amazed her.

Any proceeds collected from this week's dinner will also go toward Ringley’s NEDA walk.

She wants to raise $6,000 before the walk set for April 13 in Raleigh. She plans to host a silent auction the day of the walk.

“There’s a lot of people and passion behind this. I’m thankful,” she said. “We’re expecting around 100 walkers.”

Various sponsors are supporting Ringley’s cause, from the retailer Target to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders, which offers various approaches to treating people battling eating disorders.

“I’m looking forward to the day with so much excitement and seeing it all come together,” Ringley said about the walk.

Westview Baptist Church will help host the dinner from 4-7 p.m. Saturday. Takeout trays will also be available.